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| May 24, 2008 |
This time last year... day 11. |
Thursday 24 May 2007.
Breakfast at the hotel and checked out. Walked with the packs to the bus station. Caught the 1030 bus to Chania. 10.50 euro each... normally 11 euro but because we bought two tickets we got a discount. The bus ride took three hours. Entertained by arguing Greeks on the bus. It got quite heated, and in the end we're still not sure what all the shouting was about. The northern coast of Crete is very beautiful, with lots of small villages and purpose built resorts scattered along the way.
The bus stopped briefly at Rethymno then continued on to Chania (pronounced Hania or Xania). Thankfully we had our Lonely Planet guide book handy as it took us a while to get our bearings, just to find our way from the bus station to the port. We found our hotel in an alleyway just off the harbour quay. The Porto Del Colombo Hotel is a beautiful venetian building said to be around 650 years old. The receptionist asked if we'd like to book the Samaria Gorge walk, (which is why we came here) so that was organised for us to do on Saturday. The afternoon was spent wondering around the old port and exploring central Hania.
We rested for a while in our hotel then out to dinner on the harbour quay around 1930. The port was absolutely glowing as the sun set. We were kicking ourselves for not having our cameras with us at the time. |
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| May 23, 2008 |
This time last year... day 10. |
Wednesday 23 May 2007.
Breakfast at Astoria before checking out. Left bags at the hotel lock-up and went looking for the bus station. Found the Battle of Crete memorial. Spent a few minutes reading the plaques, particularly about the Australian troop involvement. I then realised Tony was leading us in the wrong direction - south, instead of north towards the port. I took over the map reading duties from here.
Once we'd found the bus station, we caught the bus to Knossos historic site - a Minoan temple dating back to 1900BC, and is one of Crete's major tourist attractions. Entry is ¤6 and then we were conned into the guided tour for an extra ¤10. The guide was a tiny old greek lady who spoke broken English very well. The poor dear fainted half way through the tour. Spent about two hours here then caught the 7km bus ride back to Iraklio. We talked to some Aussies on the bus who'd just been to Turkey.
Back in Iraklio, we took photos around the harbour, particularly the venetian fortress, Rocca al Mare. Checked into Atrion Hotel, and rested for a while. Then walked over to Astoria to collect our packs and walked back - about 7 minutes each way, if you know your way around.
Went out to dinner - found a taverna near the Morosini 'lion' Fountain in Plateia Venizelou. The fountain was undergoing maintenance at the time so we didn't see it operational. Took some night photos around the fort area. I had this strong craving for icecream so we had coffee and strawberry icecream on the way back to the hotel. |
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| May 22, 2008 |
This time last year... day 9. |
Tuesday 22 May 2007
We ate breakfast again in the villa. Tried several times to call the caretaker so we could give the key back. Eventually he answered and we set off at 1035 but then had to wait for the next bus to Fira at 1120. The plan today is to drop off some laundry at the Pelican Hotel laundrette in Fira. The good thing about this place is they have large lockers we can leave out backpacks in and we can then wonder off with just out smaller day-packs. Spent the day souvenir shopping. Tony got carried away taking pictures of kittens.
Picked up our laundry and backpacks and headed for the bus station. The bus ride to Athinios was very scenic, particularly down the steep and narrow road to the port. We didn't get to see much of it on arrival because of all the rain. Had to wait an hour for the ferry to arrive. The fast-ferry to Crete left at 1810 and was a lot smoother this time, although there was a slight sea swell half way. Arrive at Heraklion (Iraklio to the locals) at 2000. Heraklion is an old Venetian port and very pretty, particularly at night. The inner-city has a large wall surrounding it.
Caught a taxi to Atrion Hotel. There was a stuff up with our hotel booking. Several months earlier while planning the trip we discovered the ferry would not be operating on May 23 so we altered our plans to arrive a day earlier. Somewhere in the string of travel agencies, the new itinerary had not been booked and updated. Turns out it was the agent in Athens that stuffed it up. Anyway, the kind hotel staff offered us a complimentary drink while they sorted out our booking. The Atrion was fully booked for the night and couldn't accommodate us so they got us a taxi that took us to the Astoria Hotel, a more superior hotel nearby for no extra charge. Yay, a free upgrade for the night.
Once we were assigned a room, we realised it was getting rather late, so we found a taverna in the nearby Plateia Eleftherias and enjoyed a hearty Greek meal. Fully stuffed to the gills, I'm sure I'm over my petite 70kg's now!
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| May 21, 2008 |
This time last year... day 8. |
Monday 21 May 2007.
Up at 0700. Made our own breakfast and caught the 0850 bus to Fira and headed straight for the old port via the zig-zag steps, also known as the donkey track. Arrived early enough to do some people watching, order a coffee at the kafeneion, and try my "kalimera" on the waitress.
We boarded our glass bottom cruise boat "Calypso" and left port at 1045. We cruised out to the first island, Nea Kameni to walk around the volcanos. It's an additional 2 euro entry fee and takes about an hour to do the walk. There are some dormant craters here and the landscape is somewhat reminiscent of a lunar surface (well, I guess it is - I've never been to the moon!). Lots of large boulders strewn about the place. We noticed a few other Aussies on this excursion tour as well.
We set off for the next island, Palia Kameni to visit the hot springs. They tell us on the way there that you have to swim ashore... so the adventurous dived in (Tony included) and swam for them. I stayed put on the boat and took pictures. Tony said it was a bit of a challenge - in about 12m of water, and the swim was about 150m each way - and "Hot springs" is a bit of a misnomer, vaguely lukewarm in places.
The third island is Thirasia. The boat docks at Korfos Village where there are several tavernas to choose from and have lunch. Tony and I picked "The Rock" on recommendation of the boat captain. We enjoyed Tomato Balls and some Moussaka... washed down with you-know-what! We had time to take a few photos before the boat continued on.
The tour boat then travelled over some shallows for the glass bottom boat viewing. Um... yes we saw some rocks, not Atlantis. The glass bottom didn't help much except for this one coral looking reef - the caldera is just too deep to see anything. After this we set sail for Oia, and although they stopped at Oia to let people off if they wanted, we stayed on board for the journey back to Fira, viewing the coastline and magnificent cliffs that plunge into the caldera.
Back on land we caught the cable-car up to Fira and looked for a restaurant we wanted to go to on our first trip here seven years ago. I remember back then a lady sweeping out the front and she yelled out to us "You come to Mommas, yes?"... Unfortunately, we never found our way back there, so we were on a mission to keep our promise, if seven years later. We found Mommas Restaurant on the main road heading north out of Fira. I'd since heard good reports from other people that this was the place to eat in Fira. The problem was we were still full from lunch and it was only mid-afternoon. But we found something on the menu that looked like a light snack, or so we thought - I had Mummas Salad, a variation on Greek Salad - and so we force fed ourselves through the meal. There'd definitely be no need for an evening meal later on.
Caught the bus back to Oia and set about trying to dry the last of our wet clothes. Later as the sun got lower in the sky we joined thousands of others to watch the sunset and take massive amounts of photos. This is quite a sight - both the sunset, and the large crowds. Must be a bit overbearing in the peak tourist season. I ran out of battery power in my camera so I had to conserve some of my picture taking and let Tony take the best shots. |
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| May 20, 2008 |
This time last year... day 7. |
Sunday 20 May 2007
The skies have cleared. Had breakfast at a nearby restaurant. I had some yummy really thick Greek yogurt with walnuts and honey... and a cuppa tea. Tony scoffed at the prices.
Today we walked the track from Oia to Fira. It took us several hours but the scenery was magnificent. I took some photos of interesting layers of volcanic pumice.The walk took us several hours (1030 to 1415). Had lunch in Fira (savoury crepe) and booked our ferry to Crete on Tuesday. While in the booking office we booked a boat tour of the volcano and Thirasia for tomorrow.
Caught the bus back to Oia and bought some groceries for the next few days - Tony's decided we'll be making our own breakfast from now on. Did some basic washing at the villa. Beer (yep, Mythos again!) and crisps on the terrace - it's a bit windy. Walked around to the other side of Oia and noticed the crowds starting to gather for the sunset. Viewing the sunset in Oia has turned into a kind of pilgrimage, it's something every tourist does when they come to Santorini. We've decided we won't be typical tourists tonight - we took off and did some emails at the tourist information office.
Dinner at Thomas Grill. Later took some night photos of Oia. |
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| May 19, 2008 |
This time last year... day 6. |
Saturday 19 May 2007.
Our last day on Mykonos and it's pissing down! Spent the morning in hotel room packing and watching tv. Sent off some last minute emails and then we checked out at 1130 (we had to be out by midday). We left our bags at the hotel and walked into Chora for some lunch.
Got some money from an ATM and Tony bought a windcheater because he'd lost his on arrival in Athens. Rained on and off. Still an hour or so to kill. Back to hotel and waited there a while, then collected our packs and walked down to the old port ferry terminal.
When we arrived, there were quite a few other passengers already waiting. The highspeed ferry for Santorini left at 1500, 15 minutes late. The ride got a bit rough on the way and it rained heavily as well. Ferry stopped at Paros and Ios on the way to Thira (Santorini).
It was still raining when we disembarked the ferry (just after 1800) and then had to located our bus to Fira (1.60 euro) Then had to wait in a damp bus shelter for nearly an hour for the next bus to Oia (1.20 euro). It had stopped raining by the time we arrived in Oia village. We tried to locate Marnikos Villa without success and tried phoning several numbers for the person that had the key. Eventually we got an answer and waited on the main alleyway for the guy who would take us down to the villa. The villa is very traditional and cavenous, being built into the side of the caldera wall, and slightly damp after all the rain. Half the stuff in my pack got wet, so I'm hanging things everywhere to dry - the villa looked like a laundry for a while.
Had dinner around 2100 at Skala Restaurant in Oia. I tried the Baklava for dessert. It's sweeter than I expected. The bill came to 45 euros (my shout this time).
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| May 18, 2008 |
This time last year... day 5 |
Friday 18 May 2007.
Breakfast again at the hotel then headed out for a walk. We had planned to walk to Super Paradise Beach but we missed the turn-off because we either misinterpreted the sign or we misunderstood the direction the sign was pointing to. Anyway we ended up at Platys Gialos, were we stayed last time we were here. Found the hotel we stayed at too, right opposite where the bus leaves for Mykonos Town. It had started to cloud over and the water was a bit choppy. The caique to the other beaches would not be running for another hour or so. We walking along the foreshore, past the restaurants and hotels to the other end of the beach. Had a coffee at one of the cafes and decided to walk back to Chora (Mykonos town) as it was clouding over more.
We entered Mykonos from the southern road and walked about a bit, buying souvenirs. Went looking for the Maritime Museum. After some confusion at reading the directions in the Lonely Planet guide, we discovered we were standing right outside it all the time. Had lunch at Nikos Taverna. Yes, Mythos beer again with Cheese Balls followed by Moussaka. Luckily we were inside and not dining alfresco as it rained rather heavily for about 10 minutes. Bought more souvenirs on the way back to hotel.
Not the best weather we wanted. It rained some more and stayed cloudy all afternoon. Tony read his book while I slept. Around 1730 we walked into town and had a few drinks at Castros Bar, in the heart of Little Venice. I enjoyed a few rounds of Tequila Sunrise on Tony's 'shout'. The place has large window's for sunset viewing with classical music to relax the mind. Later we wondered around (and rather merry after all those tequilas) and found a taverna to eat at. |
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| May 18, 2008 |
This time last year... day4. |
Thursday 17 May 2007
Had breakfast at the hotel then ventured into town and bought return ferry tickets for Delos (¤12.50). Had to pay additional ¤5 to enter the site. We'd done the guided tour on our previous trip, so we opted to go without guides to save time and went photo snapping. We found the Terrace of the Lions. I'd badly wanted to see this as it has been removed for restoration last time we were here. Noticed lots of small lizards running about.
Returned to Mykonos at 1215. Had lunch at a harbour-side taverna (Mythos beer and pizza) and later bought some souvenirs. Walked back to hotel and spent the afternoon by the pool. Sent some emails off to Dad and Grant (my boss). Later had beer on the balcony. We're certainly getting a taste for Mythos beer. In the evening we looked around Mykonos town for a nice place to have a meal. |
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| May 16, 2008 |
This time last year... day 3 |
Wednesday 16 May 2007.
Up at 0500 to catch the Airport-Rafina bus at 0545 - however, the bus drove straight past us. We have to catch this ferry or we're gonna get stranded again. We wait for the next bus which doesn't come. We walk back to the hotel to ask the night porter to ring for a taxi. He doesn't understand English very well and there's a communication breakdown. He drives us down to the shoreline area where we eat the night before, but there are no taxi's about at this time of day, so he offers to take us all the way to Rafina... for 20 euros. Yes, we're desperate... what ever it takes! What seemed like only 5 minutes later we arrive at Rafina ferry terminal. And you're right, we just got ripped off.
The early morning light is amazing. We get our cameras out and quickly take some photos around the port area as the sun comes up and then find our ferry. Its the big red one at the far end of the port. We ask the man at the ferry if we have time to wonder around and take more pictures - which we do, so we go bazerk taking photos for the next 15 minutes. Onboard we're shown our allocated seating in business class and then buy some breakfast from the canteen. We see other people onboard the ferry we saw at the airport yesterday including a young American gay couple who suffered the same cancelled flights as us. The ferry leaves on time at 0725. The ride aboard 'Highspeed 2' is quiet and smooth, but as always, there's a chain-smoking Greek sitting nearby. It's something I'm sure we would have to get used to as our trip unfolds. The scenery of passing islands is calming after all the travel stress of the past 24 hours.
The ferry briefly docks at the island of Tinos to let off a few passengers and then its a short journey of about 10 minutes to Mykonos. The ferry arrived at 1020 at the new port, a few km's away from Mykonos Town (Chora). We get a taxi to Hermes Hotel, our home for the next few days.
The hotel sits on a ridge above the town and we have a stunning view of Mykonos Town, the ports and nearby islands. We decide to walk into the town, down the main road to start with them through small winding alleyways to the old harbour, happily snapping away with our cameras as we go... We've been here before (May 2000), so it's just a matter of re-aquainting ourselves with the surroundings.
We see tourists gather to see pelicans posing on top of the white-washed buildings.... walk through more alleyways, not really sure where we are going, but coming out of the labyrinth at Little Venice, one of the icon picture-postcard sites of Mykonos. Naturally we take plenty of our own. I spot the taverna used for filming the final scene of The Bourne Identity. We visit the famous landmark windmills, five of them in a row, now fully restored. We walk to where the main bus depot is and buy a few grocery items at the convenience store - just the essentials; beer, chips, that kind of thing, to eat back on the hotel balcony.
When we arrived in Greece, Tony realised he wasn't getting any mobile phone reception. He'd been told it was all set up and ready to go before we left - apparently it wasn't. We find an internet cafe to send off an email to our tech support guy back home in Australia to get global roaming established for the phone.
The afternoons are hot and it's a steep exhausting hill climb back to the hotel. Not being used to the heat yet, we have a short siesta in the room. Later we venture out to the hotel pool deck and get our kit off - well, down to our swim shorts that is... we're way to old for Speedos and not quite as athletically built as we used to be! We take a dip in the pool, which is rather cooling and sunbathe for a while. Two hours of hot Greek sun is enough for one day, so it's back to the room. Another short siesta then we enjoy a can of Mythos Beer on the balcony and watch the sunset. Took some nice photos of the sunset. A big cruise ship has anchored in the bay next to the windmills.
For dinner tonight, we found Blue Ginger, a Thai restaurant located up the hill, just behind the hotel. I'm hopeless when it come to Asian food, so Tony orders for me. Overall, it was a rather strange dinning experience; two Aussies in a Thai restaurant in Greece... with Enya background music.
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Oliv |
since May 16, 2008, 10:10 |
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I red all your story.
What an adventure :)
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